


orpheus and eurydice

by hrtbeats



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Aerith lives, F/M, canon-compliant AU, emotionally repressed idiots resolve their issues by acting, minor barrifa if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25214773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hrtbeats/pseuds/hrtbeats
Summary: When Aerith had mentioned that the Leaf House kids needed help, urgently, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind.Or, that one where Cloud and Aerith play Orpheus and Eurydice in a play.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 1
Kudos: 65





	orpheus and eurydice

**Author's Note:**

> ok... so... pardon me if this is truly, unintelligably awful. it's the first time i'm posting fanfiction since 2010 so i must've improved at least a BIT
> 
> ff7r really wormed its way into my little heart. cloud and aerith even moreso. i finished my playthrough of the original game about a month ago and i think i have a new favorite video game (and a new favorite pairing <3) so i hope you enjoy this!!! 
> 
> twitter: @hispeiia / @cloudstrifeonly

When Aerith had mentioned that the Leaf House kids needed help, urgently, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind. 

Of course, he hadn’t exactly been thinking about the kids as she gently took his arm and led him to the new-and-improved orphanage. With her arms loosely wrapped around his own and her body leaning into his, most of his thoughts had vanished into _“whoa, wha- huh… wow”_. Even as she released him and began talking to the director of the orphanage, his thoughts were whirling. 

One of the kids he vaguely recognized, a little girl with a pair of blue bows in her brown hair, came up to him and took his hand, swaying back and forth. 

“Hiya, Cloud!” she greeted him, a bright smile on her face. He caught himself smiling a bit as a few more kids ran up to greet him. Aerith turned around as the director walked off, watching with fondness. Cloud blushed, using the kids who were tugging on his clothes and fingers as an excuse to look away. Sometimes she was so dazzling he _had_ to look away.

“Are you here for the opening day art show?!” One of the boys asked him, curiously. Cloud tilted his head at that. He had no idea what Aerith had dragged him out to do today.

“Art show?” As the question left his lips, all the kids gave him a look of shock. 

“Aerith didn’t tell you?!” 

“Huh?”

The chorus of disapproval and distress made Aerith run over to calm them down. Cloud wondered how she got so good at dealing with kids. She’d make a great mother.  
_Er..._ He assumed, at least. He shook himself out of those thoughts, his blush spreading to the tips of his ears and down his neck. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise is all! Cloud is gonna be the star of our show!” Aerith spread her arms out wide, making the kids cheer. Cloud gave her a pointed look, silently reminding her that he didn’t agree to do anything that would embarrass him. Aerith just gave him a sly grin in return. 

Damn. She knew he was weak to that.

“Are you really, Cloud? You’re gonna be Orpheus?” the blue-ribbon girl asked him with big, bright eyes that reminded him of Aerith’s. Cloud sighed as she jumped up and down, taking his hand with her. He hadn’t thought his resolve had been this weak… of course, that was before he’d met Aerith. Life was too short to be proud.

“Uh. Yeah. I’m gonna be that.” Cloud shrugged, not even knowing what he was agreeing to. Aerith looked at him in mild surprise but, after a beat of silence, tilted her head and gave him a brilliant smile. He didn’t dare look away this time. A couple of children cooed at their silent conversation and gave each other knowing looks. Others were just happy he'd finally agreed.

“That’s perfect! Because Aerith is playing Eurydice!” another boy piped up, giving Cloud a smug look. Cloud, still having no idea what they were talking about, looked to Aerith. Aerith nodded. 

“Why don’t you guys go start your art projects so you can show us later, okay? Me and Cloud have to practice for the play!” Aerith waved the children off with practiced skill. Cloud would’ve admired that, had he not heard the last word she said. 

_Play? Not_ another _one._

Just as he thought this, Aerith grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side of the brick building. Once they were in the shade of the building, Aerith let go of his hand.

She brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and looked up at him, suddenly feeling shy. Cloud recognized how long it had been since they’ve been this close together. 

They’d only kissed once, during their long and harrowing journey. It had been after he thought he’d lost her… remembering it made his fist clench in anger. Luckily, Aerith was alive. She was flesh and blood before his very eyes... in _this_ moment. She wasn't going anywhere.

However, they hadn’t had a moment to spare for each other since then. Once the construction of Edge had been finished, Aerith had spent almost every moment at the Leaf House, or with her mother, Elmyra. Flower picking with Marlene. Helping Vincent buy a cell phone. Going shopping with Tifa. It was almost as if she’d been avoiding him ever since their journey had formally ended. 

Maybe _that’s_ why Cloud had been so eager to help her out today.

“So…” Aerith finally spoke up, looking intently at his face. Cloud felt his face redden at the mere sound of her voice. So embarrassing. Letting somebody have so much power over him. He’d never thought he’d reach that point of vulnerability with anybody. Though, he was a bit thankful that Aerith wore down his walls so much. He probably wouldn’t even be alive today if it hadn’t been for her influence. Maybe that was an exaggeration, though. 

Maybe. 

“Y-Yeah? You gonna explain why I’m suddenly in a play?” Cloud asked, no malice present in his question. Aerith giggled a bit and looked down at her feet. She was leaning against the brightly colored new bricks of the building. The hanging flowers that she, no doubt, hung herself framed the scene beautifully. If Cloud was more poetic, he might’ve compared the sight to a piece of art.

“Y’know I’d never get you into anything without your best interest in mind!" Aerith's happy facade dropped a bit, as she kicked at the loose dirt. "The kids missed you and I know you’ve been looking pretty tense lately…” She finished, hesitantly.

_That’s mostly because you wouldn’t talk to me for more than two minutes a day, though._

Cloud sighed at his pathetic thoughts, shaking his head.

“I get it… but a _play_? You do remember how awful I was as in the Gold Saucer, right?” he insisted as Aerith giggled once again. She placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look straight at her. She had a sincere look on her face... the kind that made Cloud feel like she really saw to the core of him. 

“You weren’t awful. And anyways, it’s just for the kids! I mean… the teachers will be there, too... But you have nothing to worry about! We have plenty of time to practice before tonight a-and... I’ll… pay you, if you don’t wanna do it… okay?” Aerith’s tone got very nervous by the time she asked her question. Cloud would never expect money from her for something so simple. What was with her today?

“Nah. I’d never ask you to pay me for something like this.” _Or at all…_

Aerith’s eyes lit up instantly, shimmering even in the harsh shade of the building. She smiled delicately, just a simple rise of her lips, but Cloud’s eyes softened at the sight. His heart was beating wildly in his chest.

He was in love with her. _Crazy_ in love with her.

He knew that since she made him laugh right after they met. He still loved her just as much as he did when they watched the fireworks from the gondola. When he saw her in her red dress. When she touched him in his dream. When she reassured him time and time again and helped him recover from his memory loss and identity crisis.

When he held her broken, dying body- 

_Wait. What?_

“Really?! Thanks, Cloud!” Aerith’s voice knocked Cloud back into reality. She released her grip on his shoulders and leaned onto the building, placing her hands behind her back. She released a long sigh of relief. Cloud was happy to see that she finally felt calm... she'd been so high-strung when she came to visit that morning. Cloud took his place beside her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Of course. So... What’s Orpheus?” Cloud asked dumbly. Aerith giggled again, this time a bit more loudly. She covered her mouth, afraid to offend him, he assumed. Cloud smiled at her. Aerith dropped her hand back to her side and returned his smile. She hummed a bit, poking her lips out like she was in thought.

“Not what but _who_ … did you never read myths when you were a kid?” Aerith asked. Cloud shook his head, looking down at his feet. He was hesitant to answer, embarrassed what she might think if he'd told her that most of his childhood had been spent watching the news and cartoons about heroes, dreaming of being one himself someday.

“No... I mostly just watched TV, to be honest.” he finally admitted. Aerith didn’t give any indication of judging him. She held up her hand and waved it back and forth, insinuating it didn't matter. Cloud nearly chuckled at the familiar gesture. She was so good at creating a sense of calm in him... was that another one of her _innate Cetra abilities_? Maybe it was just because he legitimately felt comfortable around her. That was new to him.

“That’s alright! Well, basically… Orpheus is the son of a God named Apollo and the muse Calliope. He can play the lyre and sing so well that no being, man or beast, can resist his melodies. Pretty cool, right?” Aerith tilted her head and gave him a sly grin. Cloud sighed. Aerith only winked in response.

“Does that mean I have to... sing? And… play the _lyre_?” Cloud was mortified. Thinking about this was giving him a migraine. As if acting hadn’t already been bad enough -

“Haha no, silly! You just _act_ like you’re playing the lyre, someone else will play it for real. About the singing, though…” Aerith bit her lip and looked around, trying to avoid asking something so ridiculous of him. Cloud groaned, taking a step forward and running a frustrated hand through his hair. He turned back to look at her with a hard stare.

“Are you mad…?” Aerith cautiously asked, looking at him out the corner of her eye like she was a child about to be scolded by her father. Cloud's eyes softened immediately. He choked out a laugh, shaking his head furiously. He was a bit... _upset_ at all this sudden, new information but he couldn’t bring himself to be mad about it. Or at her. It was just a little play.

“I’m not mad. There’s more to the story than that, though, right?” Cloud remembered that smug kid mentioning Aerith playing someone, too. Eury… something? 

“I’m glad… but ah! Yeah, of course! ‘The Tale of Orpheus and Eurydice’. It's all about patience and trust. Orpheus and Eurydice fall in love and get married but she dies shortly after that... Orpheus travels down to the underworld to see her and Hades, the god of the underworld, offers him a deal after he plays a beautiful melody on his lyre!” Aerith relayed the myth to him excitedly. Cloud nodded, gesturing for her to continue. Aerith smiled and went on. 

“Hades offers to let Orpheus take his wife back to the world of the living… _if_ he can guide her all the way back without looking at her. The trick is that he has to have faith that she’s following him all the way to the world of the living so that they can be together again! Sound interesting so far?” Aerith asked giddily, looking at him. He shrugged.

“Not half bad. So does he make it back with her?” Cloud asked. Aerith sighed, her face turning serious all of a sudden. She shakes her head.

“No. Orpheus gets worried that Hades tricked him and turns around right before he gets back to the world of the living… So Eurydice gets condemned to the underworld for eternity and Orpheus swears he’ll never love again and plays a sad song on his lyre. And uh… then a bunch of beasts tear him up, but the muses keep his head so that he can sing beautiful melodies forever.” Aerith sighs, looking up at the sky. Cloud swallowed thickly, suddenly breaking out into a cold sweat. Something about the end of that myth didn’t sit right with him. It felt too close to home.

“That sucks. What a stupid ending.” Cloud states brashly and his anger makes Aerith burst into a fit of laughter.

“Isn’t it! That’s what I always thought, too!” Aerith sighed dreamily, sinking down into a crouch, hugging her knees. Cloud crouched down along with her. 

“So… you’re playing Eurydice?” he asked softly. Aerith nodded, giving him a grin.

“Yep! Happy ‘bout it, _hubby_?” Cloud choked on his own spit and Aerith gasped, patting him on the back. Cloud sighed, shaking his head and giving her a funny look. 

“You sure seem to be enjoying this.” Aerith nodded, giving him a sly look. 

“Well… I thought the kids might not wanna see such a depressing play so~ I changed the ending! With permission, of course!” Aerith told him, holding her hands up in a defensive manner. Cloud chuckled. Of course she did. That was so like her.

“So the kids know the myth?” Cloud asked. Aerith nodded slowly.

“But not _your_ ending, right?” Aerith grinned, nodding vehemently. She was glad that he was following her train of thought. Cloud caught himself smiling at her, once again. 

“It’s gonna be so fun! I’ve been practicing for awhile but we need to get you the script ASAP… don’t worry too much if you forget anything or if you’re embarrassed by your singing voice. The kids won’t care or judge you… and neither will I.” Aerith quickly rose to her feet, at that, dusting off her dress. Cloud followed suit, but Aerith didn’t spare him a glance. Only drew another lock of hair behind her reddened ear.

“And then after the play… let’s talk, okay? I have some things I want to say.” Aerith admitted, getting the words out as quickly as she could manage. Cloud could only nod, as Aerith dragged him back out into the afternoon sunlight, through the newly constructed orphanage, and finally, to a classroom that was acting as the ‘dressing room’ for the play. Ms. Folia was there, reciting lines at herself into the mirror. She turned around, embarrassed, as the two of them entered the room.

“Hey, Ms. Folia! Cloud agreed to play Orpheus so we’re gonna need to get his costume sorted out, alright? I’ll help him with his lines!” Aerith greeted her, running to her. Ms. Folia let out a great big sigh of relief at that. She placed a hand on Aerith’s shoulder and thanked her what seemed like a few thousand times. She then walked over to Cloud and took his hands, looking distraught.

“‘Bout time, merc! It’s been crazy around here since we didn’t have our Orpheus. Why didn’t you say yes the first ti-” Aerith ran over to them and gave Ms. Folia’s arm a strong squeeze. Ms. Folia turned to her and saw her kind smile turn into a desperate one. She dropped Cloud’s hand and nodded to Aerith. 

“Well, it’s no big deal now, anyways. I’ll go get the tailor. I’m back to being the makeup artist so that _should_ be everything in order… make sure he has his lines memorized by 9, okay?” Ms. Folia called to Aerith as she ran out the door of the classroom. 

“Got it! No problem!” Aerith assured her, yelling back. Aerith pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. Cloud gave her a suspicious look and Aerith placed her head in her hands. 

“What did she mean the ‘first time’? Were you supposed to ask me before today?” Cloud placed his hands on his hips. Suddenly he _did_ look like a dad about to scold his child. Aerith let out a muffled groan into her hands. 

“I didn’t wanna bother you… you’ve been really busy lately. Can we talk about this later?” She asked, dropping her hands to make her speech clearer after her excuse. He crossed his arms and exhaled, staring at her pitiful posture. It was better not to push the subject, Cloud assumed.

“Alright. We’ll talk later. I have some things I need to say, too.” Aerith lifted her head and gave him a surprised look. She opened her mouth to say something just as Ms. Folia brought in the other teacher. The two of them gave each other a pensive look and decided it was best to wait until later when they could be alone. It was impressive how much a shared look could tell them about each other’s current state of mind. 

Aerith and Ms. Folia left the dressing room as the teacher took Cloud’s measurements, an experience Cloud had decided he never wanted to go through again after today. Luckily, the costume didn’t require much alteration, so Cloud practiced his lines quietly in the corner as the teacher worked on his costume in the background. 

The script wasn’t very long. That gave Cloud some peace of mind, at the very least. It seemed like it had been written purposefully so children would enjoy it, the writing seemed too simplistic for a myth. At least, that’s what he’d _assumed_. Cloud had never read myths as a child, but the way Aerith had described it sounded much more poetic than, well, this. It didn’t matter much, though. 

As long as he could get it over with and finally talk to Aerith. The anticipation was killing him.

The teacher finished his costume pretty quickly. She left as Cloud changed, acting out a bit of the play in the empty room. Aerith giggled softly from behind him, and Cloud almost jumped out of his skin. Ms. Folia walked through the door a moment later, touting a large box full of makeup and hair supplies. Aerith took a good look at Cloud in his costume and gave him an approving thumbs up. 

“I’ll give it a passing grade! What about you, Ms. Folia?” Aerith teased him, making his cheeks flush. Ms. Folia hummed as she laid out her makeup of choice for the two stars and laughed to herself. 

“Definitely an A+... Good going, merc.” Ms. Folia teased, making Aerith giggle happily. Cloud shook his head, sitting back down in the student-sized chair. This short red toga wasn’t doing much for him, in his opinion. Though, the design was beautiful. The black and gold trim made him look distinguished, but the half that showed his chest made him feel a bit self-conscious… and chilly. 

“Hah hah.” Cloud imitated their laughter, unamused. He hoped no one would see his scar or ask about it. He didn’t have a problem remembering how he got it anymore, so it wouldn't cause a headache, but it was still a tender subject in his mind. He’d never shown anyone and he didn’t want to start now. 

Just another little insecurity. 

Aerith sensed his apprehension and placed a calming hand on his bare arm. 

“It’s not too late to back out if you need to… your comfort is what’s most important.” she whispered, making sure Ms. Folia didn’t hear. Cloud shook his head, offering her a reassuring smile and placing his hand atop hers. 

“I’m alright. Let’s just get through this, huh?” She gave him her own kind smile in return, nodding. Ms. Folia hurried him out of the room so Aerith could get ready and Cloud practiced his lines over and over again while he was alone in the hallway. Daylight was fading fast. Cloud was surprised when he saw how dark it was. It seemed like he’d only just got here. Surely he wasn’t actually having… _fun_? Well, he supposed it was hard _not_ to when Aerith was around. 

As if she'd heard his thoughts, Aerith opened the door only a few moments later. Her bright white dress flowed in the air of the darkened hallway. She had a green shawl thrown over one of her shoulders, but her shoulders were, otherwise, uncovered. Cloud tried desperately hard not to stare or offend her but the way her… bosom? What was he, an eighty-year old woman? 

Her… breasts… they were -

“Earth to Cloud!” Aerith called, snapping her fingers in his face. He must’ve been zoned out for awhile because she had a suspicious look on her face. She was blushing quite prettily, too. Cloud's cheeks colored to match. He wished he had the ability to make her blush more often. He could always try being more honest with himself, he guessed.

“S-Sorry... You look b-beautiful.” Well. He tried at least. Aerith gasped, her face reddening a slight bit more. She looked so happy and bright and _alive_. His heart ached, screaming at him to pull her in close. Cloud noticed she had glitter on her eyelids and some sprinkled on her shoulders... even in her hair. Speaking of her hair, she was actually out of her pink bow for once. Her hair had been taken out of its usual braid, curled and put into a loose ponytail that was slung over her shoulder, along with the green shawl. 

She was remarkable. Everything about her glowed, even in the dim, fading light of the hallway. Cloud was so much more in love with her than he ever thought possible. She gave him a big, innocent, toothy smile and giggled shyly. 

“Thanks, handsome." Aerith walked off, not looking back. "Your turn for makeup. I’ll meet you backstage, alright?” 

Cloud watched her leave carefully, though. He sighed breathily, not being able to contain his feelings, and leaned his head against the door of the classroom. Ms. Folia tried to open the door just then and bumped Cloud on the top of his head. 

“Ouch.” Cloud said softly. Ms. Folia sighed, shaking her head at him. 

“Get the hell in here, merc.” she said seriously.

Nodding, Cloud entered the room and took a seat in one of the much too small, child-sized chairs. Ms. Folia took off her glasses and paced around the room for a moment. Cloud could only sit there in silence and look at her in confusion. Ms. Folia put her glasses back on and gave him a pointed look. She walked over and pulled out some more makeup, not telling him anything.

“Something wrong?” Cloud decided to speak up in her stead. Ms. Folia only sighed in response. She turned to him, squirting concealer on a sponge. 

“Aerith. She didn’t ask you to be in the play before today, did she?” She applied the cold concealer onto Cloud’s face and he instinctively closed his eyes. Cloud was about to shake his head when he remembered what was going on.

“She didn’t.” He stated simply. Ms. Folia hummed in acknowledgement and let the topic simmer for a bit. She applied a bit more makeup on him, doing his eyebrows and applying a bit of blush to his pallid cheeks. The silence was growing a bit tiresome, even for Cloud. 

“Why?” Cloud asked her, tired of waiting for her to continue. Ms. Folia didn’t say anything for a moment, applying a bit of blush on the tip of his nose. Then she sighed deeply.

“She’s just… so self-sacrificing is all." The woman gave him a look like 'You know what I mean, don't you?'. "I worry about her sometimes... y'know?” Cloud didn’t really understand what she was getting at but he recognized that being part of Aerith’s nature. She always put others before herself, even if it ended up hurting her in the long run. What did that have to do with the play, though? 

“What do you mean?” he asked, opening his eyes so the woman could apply mascara to his already long, dark eyelashes. Ms. Folia barely gave thought to what she was doing, indicating how good at makeup she was. How used to this situation she must’ve been, working at the Honeybee Inn, in the past, and all. Cloud wondered, somewhere far off, if she still dreamed of being a dancer.

“She didn’t ask you because she wanted to… it was because we didn’t really give her any other choice.” Ms. Folia explained, finishing up on his makeup. She plugged in the curling iron and let it heat up as she went on.

“I don’t know much about… the situation between you two but clearly there’s something there. She seemed so… I dunno… lovestruck the past few weeks.” Ms. Folia began to curl his hair into tight little curls. Cloud sighed deeply, thinking about her words and Aerith’s recent behavior towards him. The past few weeks she’d been avoiding him. He shrugged, glancing up at her focused face.

“I dunno." the blonde admitted with a sigh. He looked down at his tightly clasped hands, thinking about Aerith's. "It’s uh- not like this is any of your business but… I love her.” he stated, and it felt so liberating to finally say it aloud. Ms. Folia smiled smugly, nodding. 

“Of course you do. Everybody already knows. I’m sure even she can see it. She’s not stupid, y’know.” The woman worked the curling iron all the way around his head, curling whatever hair she could get a hold of. Cloud nodded… though he was blushing profusely by now. 

“Probably. It’s not like I’m trying to hide it anyways.” he shrugged. Ms. Folia nodded, turning off the curling iron and unplugging it. 

“Good. Because you wouldn’t be doing a very good job if you were… and I know you’re _very serious_ about your work.” She joked with him, gesturing for him to turn towards the mirror. Cloud gasped when he finally got a look at himself. His hair looked ridiculous but in a distinguished way that, when paired with the costume and makeup, made him look like a figure from classical painting. What a pair he’d make with Aerith’s Eurydice. 

“Well, either way, it’s none of my business like you said. Just make sure you work it out, alright? Everyone here wants you both to be happy. I mean… if you end up hurting Aerith we’re all gonna turn against you faster than a pack of wolves, but you get what I mean.” Ms. Folia only partly joked. Cloud nodded, understanding how completely serious she was. She needn’t worry, though. Cloud would never hurt Aerith or let any form of harm come to her, if he could help it. Never again.

“Now run along, you have about half an hour before you’re set to go onstage so you better get used to lugging this around.” Ms. Folia leaned down, grabbing a large, wooden, stringed instrument. Must be the lyre, Cloud figured. With a lot of effort, the woman passed Cloud the heavy instrument. She clasped a friendly hand on his covered shoulder and gave him a smile.

“Knock ‘em, dead, merc.” With that, she left him alone in the dressing room and headed outside along with most everybody else. Cloud was used to carrying heavy metal swords but, somehow, this hunk of dense wood was a bit much. He walked slowly towards the backstage area where Aerith had been waiting for him for the last twenty minutes or so. Opening the door, he found Aerith sitting there, mildly bored, playing with her script. 

“Hey.” Cloud called out to her. Aerith lifted her head and gave him a giddy smile. 

“Heya, Orpheus." Aerith teased, putting on an accent. "Looking quite dashing, if I might say so.” Cloud snorted out a laugh and sat next to her, setting down the heavy lyre beside him. 

“Thank you, my lovely Eurydice.” Cloud decided to play alone with her, though the blush that ran down his neck willed him to stop. Aerith gave him a surprised look and chortled, bringing one hand to her cheek and pushing at Cloud's clothed shoulder playfully with the other. 

“Oh, you…” she razzed in her soft, demure voice. Cloud smiled at her and she looked down at the crumpled script she’d been staring at for the past few hours. 

“So… did you read the ending yet?” she asked, taking a glance at his face. She was surprised that he looked mortified all of a sudden. Cloud gasped, reaching for his own script and turning there quickly. Aerith laughed wickedly at his desperation. She grabbed his hand to stop him. 

“You’ve got time, no worries. Hopefully it’s uh… to your liking.” Aerith removed her hand just as quickly as she’d placed it there and turned away from him. The tips of her ears were red and Cloud smiled a bit at the sight of her being so embarrassed. He’d skimmed the last page in the classroom before but reading through it now, it was mostly just the narrators wrapping up the story happily. And of course, Orpheus and Eurydice kiss at the end.

 _Kiss..._

_HUH?_

_Like… on the lips?!_

Cloud hated how fast his face grew hot. He was like an embarrassed schoolgirl. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t kissed Aerith before… but that was in a moment of passion that neither of them had brought up since. It wasn’t the first time he’d kissed her during a play, either… though _that_ time had been on the hand. It was just a chaste little kiss for gratification. In front of a bunch of kids, no less! Try as he might, though, there was no way Cloud could mentally prepare himself for a moment like that. A planned kiss with the woman he loved.

Cloud shook his head, trying to will himself to stop thinking of holding his fair Eurydice by her waist, her perfume of flowers floating about her. Hair and dress alike flowing in the sweet Spring breeze, the beautiful song of the lyre the only sound between them... besides her sweet sighs. Her bright eyes gazing into his on, pleading for him to seal the deal. Cloud imagined leaning forward, drinking her in, like a sweet drink of water, his dear Eurydice. How soft her lips cute, pink lips would feel... The thought only made his blush more red and furious. Suddenly, Aerith placed her hand on his bare knee. He yelped. Aerith withdrew her hand like she'd burned him, her eyes wide with shock.

“You alright…?” She asked nervously. Cloud could see beads of sweat rolling down her neck, creating a trail that led all the way down, in between her breasts. He coughed, and looked down at her hand, caught in purgatory between her body and his. 

“M’fine.” He said, softly and bashfully, like a little boy. It was a bit funny, this scene. He'd just been indulging himself to fantasies of her and now he was back to acting like a kid. How quickly the two of them turned to shy, insecure children around each other. Old habits die hard. Aerith finally patted his knee and moved to replace her hand in her lap. Cloud reached out and grabbed her hand, a sudden, deep sense of deja vu washing over him. 

_"Whatever happens... you can't fall in love with me."_

Aerith didn’t try to move away, letting his large hand engulf her small, delicate one. Neither of them said a word or looked at each other, just held each other's sweaty hands in the dimly lit room for what felt like hours. The two of them sat in that awkwardly, comfortable silence until they heard lyre music begin to play outside the curtain. Cloud rose to his feet and swallowed hard, his heartrate already picking up. Aerith was pick to mimic his posture, placing her calming hand on his bicep. 

The opening lines were being recited which meant Cloud had about a minute before he had to be onstage. Aerith gave him a look of reassurance and gestured for him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear. He dipped down far enough for her to whisper directly into his ear and she giggled.

“I forgot to mention… I asked everyone else to help out, too. So don’t be too surprised, okay?” Aerith pushed him out the curtain, handling him the heavy lyre, without another word. Cloud sighed, walking out onto the stage proper and looked out at the bright lights. He stood dumbly for a moment, before hugging the lyre to his body and trotting around. 

The three muses, Marlene, Yuffie, and Vincent caught his eye as he trotted along the Spring scenery, much to the kids’ apparent enjoyment. Yuffie began to instruct him with her lines, which was the good thing about the script. He only needed to remember what to say, not what to do, thankfully.

“It is said that to trust is one of the most difficult things a mortal can do!” Yuffie exclaimed, much more excitedly than her part called for. Cloud rolled his eyes. Marlene was next up. 

“Few mortals know that more than Orpheus, whose lack of trust cost him his love!” Marlene matched Yuffie’s level of exuberance well. Wherever Barret was, he must’ve been crying with pride, Cloud thought. 

Ah, yeah. It was his line.

“F-Father, I have fallen in love! I wish to be married!” Cloud tried to calm his hammering heart. There was no reason to be so on edge but he wasn’t used to performing in front of people, no matter how many times he’d let Aerith talk him into it. Marlene and Yuffie continued their energized dialogue as Cid, of all people, stepped onto the stage. He looked so ridiculous as Apollo that Cloud almost laughed, but Cid gave him a serious look of warning. 

“Who’s the broad?” the older man spat, making the kids laugh. Yuffie groaned, whisper-yelling that that ‘wasn’t his line’. Cid sighed, shaking his head. 

“My… dearest son. Who is it you wish to wed?” Cid asked, trying to be serious so he could avoid getting punched in the gut later by that little firebrand.

“Oh, father… she is the most wonderful woman in the entire world! Her name is even beautiful… my fair Eurydice.'' Cloud tried to put on his most poetic voice and tone, which just made everyone onstage giggle at him. He blushed and scowled as Cid said his next line.

“Oh, Eurydice! I know of her. She is certainly quite lovely. Hmm… alright. I give you permission to marry her!” Cid, as Apollo, exclaimed in something like fatherly adoration. Cloud fought the urge to burst into laughter.

“And so Orpheus and Eurydice were wed.” Vincent spoke up this time, as Aerith stepped out on stage and Cid disappeared into the curtain once more. She crossed the stage as Cloud turned towards her. The stage lights made her glitter and glow so brightly, the kids and adults in the audience let out audible gasps at her beauty. Or maybe _that_ was just in Cloud’s imagination. Either way, it was what she deserved. 

Aerith gently grabbed onto his free arm and gave him a blindingly beautiful smile that he returned with gusto. As if it were meant to be, Marlene spoke up.

“Never before was there a happier couple.” 

Aerith looked down shyly and giggled. The two of them sat in the ‘grass’ as Cloud held his lyre up so he could ‘play’ it. 

“Orpheus, my love, please play for me! I’ve never heard such beautiful music as from your lyre!” She gave him a wide eyed, childlike look. Cloud blushed and nodded, pretending to strum the instrument as more lyre music played softly in the background from the speakers. He gave her his _attempt_ at a "charming look". 

“And I’ve never felt more like playing, my dear. Being with you makes my music sound better.” Aerith posed shyly, pushing him a bit in implied embarrassment. Cloud noted that her behavior had mimicked that of what she'd done while teasing him backstage. Had she been practicing even then? He chuckled and continued to ‘strum’ the heavy wooden lyre. 

“Orpheus was the finest musician around!” Yuffie bellowed. 

“His music charmed savage beasts and made all those around him feel happy and peaceful.” Marlene continued with enthusiasm. 

Aerith rose to her feet, leaving her dear Orpheus in the grass, pretending to strum his lyre. She points to the painted scenery of the stage, a distant hill filled with flowers. How parallel this play suddenly began to feel to their own lives. Had... Aerith been the one to suggest _this_ myth as the play?

“My love, while you are playing, I think I will pick some flowers up on that hill. Your music will follow, and keep me company as I gather some blossoms.” Aerith held her arms up dreamily, and then began to sway to the music like the nymph she was pretending to be. It enamored Cloud greatly. 

“I will play, my sweet. And I will eagerly await your return.” Cloud stated confidently, as the stage lights went off momentarily. Cloud walked off stage along with Vincent, as the set was being changed. 

“I’m surprised you agreed to this.” Cloud remarked, taking in Vincent’s appearance. He didn’t look like he’d had his makeup or hair done, but he was in a toga. That was as far as he’d been willing to go, probably. 

“Aerith promised me I’d only have one line. It wasn’t bad. She helped me out so I thought I should repay her.” he explained, sitting against the wall in the backstage area. Cloud acknowledged his words with a nod and watched as Aerith and… 

_Reno?_

As Reno watched Aerith pick flowers from behind the fake brush. So _he_ was Aristaeus? It fit, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. 

Marlene and Yuffie described the scene as it went on, with Reno as Aristaeus chasing after Eurydice and berating poor Orpheus for being cowardly and not having much to offer. Eventually, Aerith managed to “get away” from Reno, and was bitten by a "poisonous snake". The crowd of children gasped, sighed, and cooed sadly as Aerith fell gently to her knees and then to the ground. 

Then, something Cloud hadn’t experienced since their journey ended so many months ago, happened. Cloud got a sharp, piercing pain in the back of his skull. The same kind he had gotten whenever he’d thought of his past or his "true identity". Only now, he had no idea what might be causing it. There was nothing left for him to remember about himself… nothing left for him to hide or lie about. Had it been about Aerith? The question was answered by the hot tears that ran down Cloud's face. Another vision of her death pervaded his thoughts. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to break down, fall to his knees, and scream.

Vincent called out to him, but he sounded like he was miles away or speaking through a wall of water. Cloud began to walk out onto the stage, searching for Aerith, his eyes blurring the scenery. 

“Where is m-my dear Eurydice? She’s been gone such a long time…” he spoke stiltedly, like a man possessed. He stumbled over the Aerith, catching the attention of both Yuffie and Marlene. 

“S-She’s gone to the underworld, Orpheus.” Yuffie’s said hesitantly, worried about his well-being. 

“A... viper has taken her from you.” Marlene continued, eyeing him carefully. 

Cloud didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt overcome with a strange, strong sense of grief. His tears flowed freely now as he approached Aerith’s body. Falling to his knees and taking the woman into his arms, he began to cry directly onto her face. She was alive and warm in his arms but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong. The familiarity of the situation only made him cry harder. His tears hit her soft, warm skin, making her eyes and cheeks tremble. She groaned at the cold feeling, wishing she could open her eyes to look up at him. She didn't want to see him cry, even if it was fake.

“No, not my beloved Eurydice! I won’t allow it!" Cloud cried. "I must get her back!” he spoke with a startling amount of seriousness in his voice. 

Cid stepped out on stage, grabbing Cloud by the shoulders and shaking him out of his trance. He wasn’t the most elegant in his ways of comfort, but he certainly did his best. As Cloud regained his focus, Cid gave him a reasurring grin and patted his shoulder. Clouds tears finally stopped flowing, though his breathing was still erratic.

“I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done, my son. The dead cannot return to the land of the living. I am deeply sorry.” Cloud shook his head. 

_The Lifestream..._

_The Promised Land..._

“I will not accept it. I am going to her!” He jumped to his feet and ran off stage. 

“Orpheus, no!” Cid threw out his arm dramatically, calling after him. The stage lights went out again as the scene changed to Hades, the Underworld. Cid followed him off the stage, clapping him on the back. Cloud, who was still struggling to catch his breath, gave him a crazed look, which made the older man recoil. 

“What the hell was all _that_ shit about?” Cid asked him with no delicacy. Cloud breathed out a surprised laugh, shaking his head.

“I don’t know.” he admitted with a sigh. All he knew was that thinking about Aerith’s death brought him such immense grief that he didn’t know how to function. 

“Well… take it easy. Last thing we need is for ya to collapse in front of all these brats.” Cid groaned, taking a seat next to Vincent who appeared to be sleeping. Cloud nodded to him, recognizing that the gruff man was trying his absolute best to be nice. It actually made him feel a bit better. Cloud turned around, hesitant to walk back out onto the stage. He huffed, patting down his tightly curled hair, and grabbed the lyre. He had to finish this.

As Yuffie and Marlene brought up Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx, Rude walked onto the stage in his own toga, foregoing his usual pair of sunglasses. Cloud was surprised he hadn’t insisted on wearing them. Rude stood at the front of a large, bisected, wooden boat. He held an oar and looked around the scenery of the Underworld admiringly. 

_Well… it’s now or never._ Cloud thought, as he strode back onto the stage. 

“Charon, row me across. I must get my beloved Eurydice back!” Cloud was surprised how into the role he was at this point. Only a few scenes in and suddenly it felt like second nature, lugging this big hunk of wood around. Rude smirked at him.

“You must be kidding. You know I only transport the _dead_ to the other side. In fact… wasn’t that your wife that I just rowed across?” Rude was doing a surprisingly good job in his role. Maybe he should’ve been an actor instead of a Turk. He certainly had that look about him. Cloud smiled back at the man.

“You’ve seen my Eurydice! Then you must take me to her, Charon! I must see her!” Cloud hoped he sounded properly desperate. Something about this role… was easy to portray. It felt so familiar somehow… Orpheus’s grief. No matter how contrived and simple this myth may seem, there was probably some truth and personal experience in it. Cloud, at least, felt connected to it, anyways.

“Sorry, pal. Until you take your last breath you won’t be riding in my boat.” Rude crossed his arms and gave Cloud a hardened stare. Cloud sighed… he knew what came next. Luckily, this was only one of two scenes he’d have to sing in. That didn’t change how embarrassed he already felt, however. 

As Marlene and Yuffie described how desperate Orpheus was becoming, Cloud cradled the lyre in his arm and prepared to, once again, pretend to play it. Only this time he’d have to worry about how stable his voice was, as well. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could and tried to calm his breathing. 

As the lyre music began, Cloud tried his hardest to match the tempo with his shaking fingers. After a few moments, when all was quiet, with the exception of his melodic backing track, Cloud began to sing… 

His voice didn’t rise above a whisper at first, evidence of his nervousness. As the seconds passed, his voice rose ever so slightly, singing a beautiful hymn about his lost love, Eurydice. Cloud’s soft, smooth voice surprised him so much that he was almost convinced it was someone _else_ singing along to the actual lyre music. That he must’ve embarrassed himself so much that someone else climbed onstage to take over for him. 

However, as the final notes rang out, Cloud stopped his song. He opened his eyes that he hadn’t even realized he’d closed and looked around. Yuffie and Marlene were in the background, flabbergasted. Rude was visibly crying, though that may have just been him pretending for the purpose of the scene. Cloud’s cheeks burned when he realized the entire room had gone silent. 

“W-Wow. Cl-Orpheus. That was... beautiful. Oh, all right. Come aboard; I’ll take you across.” Rude finally said after a few awkward moments had passed. Cloud let out a sigh of relief, nodding at the man.

The stage lights once again went out and the two men walked off the bisected boat and backstage through the curtain together. Rude looked at Cloud curiously. He was smiling slightly which made Cloud raise an eyebrow at him.

“Didn’t know you could sing, bodyguard.” Rude teased, honestly impressed. Cloud shook his head, his face getting warm. 

“Neither did I. Never tried before.” Cloud shrugged, trying to play it cool, sitting in one of the small chairs. Rude looked down at him, the slight smile still present on his face. Cloud genuinely appreciated his compliment, though he'd never admit that aloud. Especially to a _Turk_.

“I’m sure she’s enjoying all this. Aerith.” The terse man assumed. He looked toward the curtain, waiting patiently for the next scene to start. Cloud sighed softly, knitting his hands together. A small part of him hoped Aerith hadn't been paying attention when he'd sang, despite the praise he'd received. Although, knowing her, she'd have been the first one to compliment him in normal circumstances. He hoped Aerith was having a good time. He wasn’t doing this for the kids or the Leaf House… he’d just wanted to spend a bit more time with her. It felt like she was slipping away from him all over again. So nearly he had lost her before... he wouldn't let her just _disappear_.

“Wake up, merc. We’re on.” Rude said, pulling Cloud out of his thoughts. Cloud nodded to him, walking back out onto the dark stage and taking his place behind Rude on the boat. The stage lights flared to life once more, as Cloud cradled his imposter lyre to his chest. Cloud spotted Nanaki, with two papier-mâché heads strapped to either shoulder, pretending to sleep on the other side of the stage.

“So, Charon rowed Orpheus across the River Styx to the land of the dead.” Yuffie announced, prompting Nanaki to lift his head .

“When they reached the other side, they were greeted by Cerberus, the three-headed dog!” Nanaki rose to his paws and growled at the two men. 

“Go… away…” He warned. Rude made an over exaggerated gulping noise. 

“It’s Cerberus, Hades’ three-headed dog. I rowed you across, but he’ll never let you in... He’s fearsome, I tell you!” He exclaimed, beginning to ‘row away’ and off stage. Cloud watched him and sighed, rolling his eyes. He turned to Nanaki who was swishing his firey tail back and forth.

“Leave… this place…” Nanaki growled, as Cloud lifted his lyre. 

“Again, Orpheus took up his lyre and began to play…” Yuffie instructed. Cloud once again pretended to play the beautiful melody that played over the speakers, only humming along this time. Nanaki smiled at him and lay back down, pretending to fall asleep to the soft, wonderful music.

“There now… good boy.” Cloud said softly, rubbing Nanaki’s soft head and walking off stage right. Cloud hated how many scene transitions there were in this play. They must’ve been working on the production for quite awhile now, he supposed, considering the number of backdrops and props that had been made. It was honestly impressive for such a small orphanage to put on even this level of theatre. Still, though… maybe they had gone a bit overboard.

Finally, Cloud was alone backstage. He sat back in a chair, letting his head flop backwards. He wondered what Aerith was doing right now. He knew he’d see her in the next scene but he was feeling a bit nervous to face her after all of this embarrassment. He knew she’d never judge him, even if she liked to tease him from time to time, any real ridicule would never pass her lips. Not towards the people she cherished, at least. And Aerith cherished most everything and everyone on this planet. 

“I smell a living man here in the Underworld! Who dares to enter?!” A loud, booming voice called. Of course, Cloud instantly recognized that it was Barret’s voice. He should’ve known that Barret would have a part in the play, alongside his precious daughter. Hades, though? Well… he supposed that the lines _did_ fit him. Cloud let out a long sigh and picked up the lyre, heading back onto the stage. 

Tifa was lying behind Barret on a chaise lounge that had cardboard volcanic rocks pasted to it. It made her look as if she was laying on a bed of … well, _rocks_. Barret was standing before her, looking from side to side for the mortal who had entered his domain. At last he caught Cloud’s eye and pointed to him, a large grin adorning his face. 

“Aha!” He yelled. Cloud walked towards him and dropped to his knees, his lyre by his side. Barret looked a bit perturbed by the sight of Cloud begging. Like he could decided if he wanted to joke about it or tell him to "get the hell up".

“It is I, Orpheus, and I’ve come to take Eurydice home with me.” Cloud said, not yet begging but getting very close. Barret chuckled flashily at his apparent desperation, moving to stand directly in front of him. 

“Home? Hah! She _is_ home. This is her home now, Orpheus.” Barret said with all the malice he could muster, which wasn't much. Under all that performative gruff, Barret was just too kind to be a convincing bad guy. Still, Cloud looked up at the man desperately, knitting his hands together like a pleading man. 

“No! She was taken too soon. I must have her back! She’ll come to you eventually… but not now! Please…” Cloud dropped his head and arms to the wooden floor of the stage, bowing down to the king of the Underworld. 

“Persephone knew what Orpheus was going through. She had to live half the year in the Underworld. For the other half, she could stay in the land of the living with her mother, Demeter.” Yuffie explained as Tifa rose to a sitting position. 

“Persephone, can’t you help on Orpheus’s behalf?” Marlene directed her disheartened question towards Tifa, making both her and Barret coo at her sweetness. Tifa got to her feet and walked over to her, for all intents and purposes, husband. She looked quite beautiful, like a goddess straight out of a fairy tale, but that was nothing new. Tifa had always been beautiful. However she’d always wanted to be recognized for more than that. Cloud didn’t blame her. She was an incredibly capable fighter, cook, and mother figure. 

There had been a time, during their childhood, when Cloud would have _jumped_ at the chance to give her a genuine compliment and even a time, not so long ago, that Tifa would have loved to have been called "beautiful" by him. Those times had long since passed during their long journey. Cloud was thankful to have such an understanding best friend in Tifa, but there was no romance there, they had both decided. The young woman caught his eye and gave him a small, good-humored grin, which he returned. Yeah. They were better as friends. Especially when he saw how she looked at _Barret_.

“Hades, maybe you can reconsider… I know how painful it is to be taken from those you love. I miss my mother terribly when I am down here for half the year.” Tifa said, clinging to the large man's arm and giving him a puppy-eyed look. Barret cleared his throat, looking down at the man at his feet. He shook his head.

“I won’t. She died and now she’s here. That’s that.” Barret said, his tone betraying a bit of sadness for the poor Persephone and Orpheus. 

_So bad at being the bad guy..._ Cloud thought, quietly chuckling to himself.

“So, once again, Orpheus used the only weapon he’d ever had…” Marlene trailed off, letting Cloud rise to his feet and do his thing. This was the pivotal moment… the singing had to be _perfect_ to reduce the _King of the Underworld_ to tears. Cloud lifted the fake lyre and began to sing another song about his beloved Eurydice. The grief he felt in that moment, singing that song, was like the grief of a hundred men. It reduced him, once again, pathetically, to tears. His voice broke a few times, but he pulled it together until the bright notes faded out. Cloud opened his eyes to Barret and Tifa’s eyes which were wet with tears. Surely his singing hadn’t been _that_ good. 

“Please… stop. I cannot take it anymore. It’s far too beautiful…" Barret sniffled, swiping at his eyes. "Okay, Orpheus. Since you have moved me to tears, and no one has ever done that, you may have your Eurydice back.” Barret put both of his hands on Cloud’s shoulders, gripping him tightly. He gave him a fatherly smile and Cloud could only smile, genuine happiness reaching his eyes, in response. He felt like he had won something, seeing that smile. At the side, with her arms crossed, Tifa smiled as well. She was happy to see her best friend so mad with happiness.

“Bravo, Orpheus.” She said softly, resting a motherly hand on his arm. Cloud looked back and forth at both of them, the smile still present on his face, and bowed his head respectfully. 

“Oh, thank you, Hades! And you, Persephone.” Barret released the younger man and Tifa made her way back to her bed of rocks. Barret held up one finger in front of the young Orpheus’s nose and gave him a sly grin.

“On _one_ condition. I may be a softie, but I am still the king of the dead. Eurydice will follow you back to the land of the living. But you must not turn back to look at her until you are both on the other side. If you do, she will be mine forever. Deal?” Barret asked, grim humor coating his voice, stretching out his hand for Cloud to shake. Cloud nodded, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Sounds simple enough. Okay, bring her to me.” he demanded, and Hades obliged. 

Aerith walked back out onto the stage, and the children in the audience hooped and hollered at her reappearance, ever the fan favorite. Cloud set down his lyre and the two of them ran to each other, their ancient clothes swaying in the breeze. They took each other's hands and stared at one another in awe. Then, to everyone's (including his own) surprise, Cloud took Aerith’s face in his hands, his eyes wet and full of love at the mere sight of her, and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. 

That… wasn’t in the script. 

They weren’t supposed to kiss until the end of the play. Cloud had been so overcome with relief that he couldn’t control himself. He slowly removed himself from her, afraid of how she’d react. Aerith opened her large, emerald eyes… so bright and full of life. They stared at each other wordlessly, open-mouthed for a few moments. 

Suddenly, the entire room erupted in cheers. The children, the adults, their friends, everyone was screaming in glee. Cloud swallowed roughly, blushing. Aerith’s face was just as red as his now. She, however, gave him a mischievous grin and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. Cloud groaned in surprise, his eyes wide. He quickly returned the favor, though, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. The room continued to be just as noisy. Laughing, shouting, cheering, even a bit of audible cringing (mostly from Reno and Yuffie, Cloud noticed). 

They parted slowly, smiling at each other and Cloud took his hand in hers. Her gorgeous eyes twinkled mischeviously in the light of the stage, her glittery makeup blinding him to everything around them.

“Screw this.” He nodded to her and, of course, she nodded back. Cloud ran off, dragging her through the backstage area, the darkened hallways of the Leaf House, and out of the building. Through Edge, all the way to the park near the center of town. By the time they got there, both of them were out of breath. Cloud stumbled over to the swing set and took a seat on it. Aerith broke into a fit of giggles, but joined him, taking a seat on the other swing. She leaned back, her ecstatic laughter filling the dimly light street.

“Y-You… just left our clothes in th-there.” She couldn't stop laughing. She was in hysterics. Cloud joined her, laughing jovially. The two of them sat there, swinging and laughing in the chilly, night air.

“S-Sorry. I wanted to talk. Just the two of us. I didn’t know how much longer I could wait.” Cloud admitted, looking down at his nervously clasped hands. Aerith shook her head, looking at him adoringly. 

“Me either. Not after you did _that_ anyways!” She joked with him, swinging sideways so she could knock into his side. Cloud gave her a handsome, bashful smile and she sighed dreamily, looking up at the sky. The pregnant silence that followed held such profound weight.

"You were really amazing tonight. Better than I thought you'd be." Aerith complimented him seriously, which made his heart beat quicken in his chest. He shook his head.

"I guess." She hummed, giving him a disapproving look.

"I'm being serious! That singing of yours... it was almost _scary_ how emotional it was..." Her voice dropped to a whisper and she began to swing a bit. 

"I suppose. I... I think it... came from somewhere real. Though, I'm not sure... w-where." Aerith looked unconvinced, shaking her head at him. She kicked out her legs, the mulch flying every which way as she slowed herself down. She sighed, scratching the top of her head. Awkwardly, her nails got stuck in the loose curls of her hair, so she pulled out the ponytail holder, letting her hair blow. 

_Breathtaking._

“You know." She started, looking down. Her hair created a curtain, hiding her face from view. "I was… supposed to die a few months ago.” Aerith stated simply. Cloud’s eyes widened and his heart began to beat quickly once more, this time in fear instead of embarrassment. He scoffed, indignant. Of course... he had felt the truth in her statement, but it was... _unreal_. Then again, everything about this woman was unreal. 

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, already anticipating her answer. He _knew_ she was telling the truth, obviously. Aerith never lied. He knew firsthand, though, in the way grief filled his heart at the thought of her death. The grief of a thousand lifetimes… of a thousand versions of himself, more like. 

“Sephiroth was supposed to kill me in the city of the Ancients. But… he didn’t. Not this time, anyways.” She turned to him, a smile on her lips but her eyes incredibly serious and glassy. Cloud only nodded, waiting for her to go on. 

“I’m sure you could sense it, too. We’ve always been kinda… _connected_ like that, y’know?” Aerith giggled, looking down at the mulch and kicking at it a bit with her bare toes. Cloud made a noise of assent. He’d shared dreams with her and felt her soul calling out to his numerous times during their journey. Of course he could sense it. He just couldn’t put it into words.

“When we defeated fate in Midgar… the Whispers, I mean. I think we changed my fate. Everyone’s fate. I was afraid… I didn’t want you to get your hopes up about me. I knew for a long time that I was supposed to die there… and then you saved me. I couldn’t believe it. That you loved me even though I told you not to. That you cared enough about me to put yourself at risk at your lowest point. I didn’t feel like I was worth it.” Aerith began to sob, wiping at her beautiful face in an attempt to keep them at bay. Cloud huffed, swinging over to her and wrapping his arms around her.

“You do. Deserve it, I mean. All that and more. There’s no way I could’ve lived without you, you know.” Cloud laid his head atop hers, letting her cry into his neck. She shook her head a bit, laughing. 

“You _did_ live without me… but you were so sad. Even in times that you should've been happy... I didn’t want to put you through that again. I thought it would’ve been better if I’d never existed. You’d have been better off.” Aerith laughed ruefully. Cloud shook his head, holding her tighter than before. Hopefully he wasn’t hurting her… but if he was, she wouldn’t tell him so. He sighed, loosening his grip around her and taking her face in his hands once more. It was hard to see her like that, her tears and glittery makeup running down her cheeks. 

Cloud gave her his most self-assured and real smile… at least, he tried.

“I never would have looked back... If I was Orpheus and you were Eurydice. I never would’ve let you go to the Underworld in the first place." He took her hands in his and tried to keep his _own_ tears from falling. "Whatever I let happen in any other… lifetime or timeline or _whatever_. I have you with me. Here and now. I’m never gonna let you go. Fate be damned.” Cloud promised her. But upon realizing how cheesy his speech sounded he coughed awkwardly.

“Unless… you don’t want me to, obviously. Trust me when I say that I don’t want anything other than you, though…” he trailed off, letting her go. He looked down at his feet in the uncomfortable golden sandals and sighed, the night breeze slowly cooling his burning cheeks. Aerith let out a small, innocent laugh. Cloud looked at her… really looked at her. 

Her hair and makeup were a mess. Her green shawl had been ripped on the way here, somehow, but she held it tightly around her shoulders due to the chill of the night. She was giving him the biggest, most genuine smile he’d ever seen from her. Her eyes were glittering in the weak light of the streetlamps. 

And still... Cloud had never seen anybody or anything more beautiful in his life.

“I love you, Aerith.” he said. That was all he needed to say. Aerith got off her swing, waltzed over to him, grabbed the metal chains on either side of his head, and gave him a sweet kiss. 

“And I, you. My brilliant. Handsome. Funny. Talented. Caring. Lovely... Orpheus.” she giggled, squishing his cheeks as he huffed in mock annoyance. She leaned in once more and kissed the tip of his nose. 

“Cloud... I love you, too.” he smiled, relieved tears finally falling from his eyes, and held her tightly. He leaned his head on her chest and listened to her heart beat as the night wind howled around them. Aerith cradled his head against her, smoothing his soft hair as he held her to his heart's content. 

She wouldn’t look back, either.


End file.
